Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) refers to techniques for automatically identifying objects, collecting data about them, and entering that data into computer systems. Technologies typically considered as part of AIDC include bar codes, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), biometrics, magnetic stripes, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and voice recognition.
For example, RFID technology enables businesses to wirelessly capture and move data associated with products or items using radio waves. A typical system includes “tags”, each of which include an embedded, unique identifier that is associated with the product or object being moved; “readers” that are designed to decode the data on the tag; and a host system or server that processes and manages a plurality of information gathered.
From the time a product is manufactured to when it is consumed, RFID systems can offer real-time visibility into shipments and inventory in motion. Using radio waves, data is captured and moved wirelessly to and from the point of business activity. The systems utilize the unique identifiers to match information about the product with information from a company's database or host system.
More recently, businesses have begun to use a distributed architecture for the automatic identification of objects in motion on supply chain and industrial production applications. Typically, these distributed architectures utilize Electronic Product Code (EPC) technology with RFID devices. Using EPC technology, a globally unique number is assigned to the RFID device assigned to each tagged product or item. This number is then used to identify the object and to retrieve further information about it through Internet based applications (e.g., using Web services). Additional information concerning the object is not stored on the RFID tag, but instead supplied by distributed servers typically accessible over the Internet.
As AIDC technologies continue to be deployed in the marketplace, there remains a need to further leverage these technologies in enterprise-level deployments across various industries.